Grammar
Wish and if only: talking about unreal situations
Your train leaves in ten minutes, but your ticket is at home. You might say, I wish I had my ticket with me. Wish lets you talk about a situation you want to be different.
Use wish and if only to describe an unreal present situation, a past regret, an ability you want, or a future change.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I wish I could stay longer. /aɪ wɪʃ aɪ kʊd steɪ ˈlɒŋɡə/
The short answer
Use wish plus a past form for an unreal situation now, wish plus a past perfect form for a past regret, wish plus could for an ability, and wish plus would for a change you want in the future.
I wish I knew the answer.
Why it works: Knew has a past form, but the speaker wants to know the answer now.
5 more examples
-
I wish I had my keys with me.
Had is a past form after wish, but the speaker wants the keys now.
Not this:I
havemy keys with me. What changes: This sentence describes the real present situation, so it does not use wish. -
Zara wishes she lived closer to the office.
Lived describes an unreal present situation. Zara does not live closer to the office now.
Not this:Zara
livesclose to the office. What changes: This sentence reports a real present fact. -
I wish I had taken the earlier train.
Had taken is past perfect. The speaker regrets a completed action in the past.
Not this:I
tookthe earlier train. What changes: This sentence reports what happened and does not express regret. -
I wish I could speak French more confidently.
Could expresses an ability that the speaker wants to have or improve.
Not this:I
can speakFrench confidently. What changes: Can describes an ability the speaker has now. -
If only the neighbors would lower the music.
Would expresses a change the speaker wants another person to make.
Not this:The neighbors
lowerthe music every evening. What changes: This sentence describes a regular action without a wish.
Read the full guide
First, ask when the situation is real or unreal. If you want to change the present, use a past form after wish. If you regret an earlier event, use had plus a past participle. Then choose could when the missing thing is an ability or possibility, or would when you want a later change.
Start with the situation you want to change
Use wish when reality is different from what you want. The form after wish tells the reader whether you mean now, an earlier time, an ability, or a later change.
I wish the café were open.
The café is closed now, so the speaker uses wish to describe a different present situation.
Use a past form for an unreal present
After wish, a past form can describe something you want to be different now. The past form does not mean that the wish happened in the past. It marks the situation as unreal or unlikely in the present.
Mina wishes she knew the manager's name.
Mina does not know the name now. Knew is the form used after wishes for that unreal present situation.
Choose the form for a present wish: I wish I know the route or I wish I knew the route?
Use I wish I knew the route because the speaker wants to know it now.
Use past perfect for a past regret
Use wish plus had and a past participle when you want to change a completed event. This form looks back from now to an earlier action, decision, or missed opportunity.
We wish we had booked the table earlier.
The booking opportunity is in the past. Had booked shows that the group regrets its earlier choice.
Which phrase shows a past regret: wish I called or wish I had called?
Use wish I had called because had called looks back to an earlier action.
Use could for an ability or possibility
Use wish plus could when you want an ability, permission, or possibility that you do not have. Could is useful when the wish concerns what someone is able to do.
I wish I could join the meeting online.
The speaker cannot join online at the moment. Could join names the missing possibility.
Use would for a change you want later
Use wish plus would when you want another person, a thing, or the weather to change. This pattern often refers to a later action or a repeated behavior that annoys the speaker.
I wish the rain would stop before the match.
The speaker wants a future change in the weather. Would stop points to that desired change.
Choose the phrase for a future change: I wish the printer would work or I wish the printer worked?
Both forms can be possible in context. Would work focuses on the change the speaker wants from the printer.
Use if only when you want stronger emphasis
If only can replace wish with the same main verb patterns. It often sounds more emotional or more urgent. Use it when you want to give extra weight to the wish itself.
If only I had brought an umbrella.
Had brought is past perfect, so the speaker regrets an earlier decision.
If only the package would arrive today.
Would arrive expresses the speaker's desire for a later change.
Before you go
Remember this
Use wish and if only to show that reality is different from what you want. Use a past form for an unreal present, past perfect for a past regret, could for an ability or possibility, and would for a change you want from someone or something.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Wish and if only: talking about unreal situations"
What is the difference between wish and if only?
Wish and if only can use the same grammar for unreal situations. If only usually gives the wish more emphasis. I wish I had my keys with me and If only I had my keys with me both describe a present situation the speaker wants to change.
I wish I had my keys with me.
Why do we use a past form after wish for the present?
A past form after wish marks a present situation as unreal or unlikely. Zara wishes she lived closer to the office means that she does not live closer now, even though lived has a past form.
I have my keys with me.
How do I talk about a past regret with wish?
Use wish plus had and a past participle for a completed event you regret. I wish I had taken the earlier train means that the speaker took a different train and now wishes the past decision had been different.
Zara wishes she lived closer to the office.
When should I use could after wish?
Use could after wish for an ability or possibility you want to have. I wish I could speak French more confidently describes a skill the speaker wants to improve or gain.
Zara lives close to the office.
When should I use would after wish?
Use would after wish when you want a future action or repeated behavior to change. If only the neighbors would lower the music asks for a change in another person's behavior.
I wish I had taken the earlier train.